


Merthur Love❤

by justaCamelotcitizen



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29172732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justaCamelotcitizen/pseuds/justaCamelotcitizen
Summary: After the battle of Camlann, Merlin manages to save Arthur, but what happens when they arrive to Camelot and find that the queen was dead?Everything goes exactly the same as in the show, except for a few changes. After the scene where Arthur says "Thank you" and supposedly dies, Merlin is able to still get him to the lake of Avalon in time to save him.Gwaine is also alive
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	1. The Darkest Hour Comes Just Before Dawn

The morning sun was up, the first rays of sunshine hitting the golden locks of Arthur Pendragon as he layed unconscious on the shore beside the beautiful lake of Avalon. The water was breathtakingly calm, and you could see the perfect reflection of the surroundings on the surface.  
Merlin was sitting there, with Arthur's head in his lap, gently stroking his hair. Arthur started to slowly flutter his eyes open. The first thing he saw was Merlin's beautiful face, as the sun perfectly lighted up that gentle smile forming on Merlin's lips, as he noticed that Arthur was waking up.  
"Merlin," Arthur said, voice hoarse. "I thought I was dead for sure."  
"Like I'd let you go that easily," Merlin replied, with a wide grin on his face. Arthur chuckled lightly, smiling, while looking into those deep blue eyes that he so loved.  
They slowly got up from the ground, Arthur looking at their surroundings, while Merlin was wondering how they would get back to Camelot without their horses. "Beautiful..." Arthur mumbled when he turned to look at Merlin, who was currently looking into the sun. "What?" he turned to look at Arthur. "Oh, uh... the lake... it's beautiful," Arthur managed to say. "Yeah, it really is," Merlin nearly whispered, as he watched Arthur who was now turned to look at the lake.  
"So, how do we get back home?" Arthur asked. "I don't know. It's many days walk from here to Camelot. Do you think you're strong enough already to make that journey?" "I think so. Whatever that magic was that healed me, it must've been powerful 'cause I feel great." Arthur said with slight amazement. "Well then, let's go," Merlin said while turning around and heading towards the path to Camelot. Arthur catched up to him and they started walking through the woods, side by side, with a comfortable silence falling upon them.  
\-----  
The two arrived before the gates of Camelot. Their journey had been mostly silent since they were both tired of the many days of walking, even though they did rest every once in awhile. They entered through the gates of Camelot, and immediately they noticed how quiet the town was. There was no one at sight, no one seemed to notice their king arriving. The sun was starting to set, sending a beautiful glow, a combination of pink and gold, to the sky just above the distant trees.  
Merlin and Arthur walked through the courtyard and, to their relief, Gwaine, Percival and Leon rushed towards them. "Arthur, you're alive!" Leon shouted relieved. "Leon!" Arthur said happily, and went to hug him. After they pulled apart, Percival gave Arthur a hug, while Gwaine had wrapped his arms tightly around Merlin. "It's good to see you too Gwaine, but I may need to breathe soon," Merlin struggled to mumble, before Gwaine pulled apart from his tight embrace. "Sorry Merlin," Gwaine said, smiling, giving a nervous chuckle. He patted Merlin on the shoulder and went then to give Arthur a hug too, "Good to see you princess." To which Arthur just rolled his eyes at, but smiled anyway as he hugged him back. After Leon and Percival had also hugged Merlin, Leon put a serious face on and said, "Sire, there is a matter we must discuss, but it's not going to be easy." The knights had sadness now written all over their faces. Arthur and Merlin looked at each other with concern and confusion.  
Merlin, Arthur and the knights went inside and headed towards the council chambers, where Gaius was sitting at the table. Once he saw who had arrived, he immediately got up and rushed to give Merlin a warm hug. "I was starting to get worried," Gaius said gently with a warm smile as they pulled apart from the hug. Merlin smiled slightly, until his smile dropped entirely, as his head spun around quickly in the direction of Arthur's shocked, tear filled gasp, "Guinevere!" Merlin walked beside Arthur, putting his hand on Arthur's shoulder. Tears were threatening to spill from both of their eyes at any second, as they looked upon Guinevere's dead body.


	2. Good Morning Princesses

Arthur had just come back in his chambers from Gwen's funeral. His eyes were red and tired, and anyone could see he had just cried an ocean of tears. He sat on his bed, eyes wandering about the room with a blank expression. A few minutes later Merlin came in with a tray of food. It was obvious he had cried a lot too. He set the tray on the table and began to clean Arthur's room quietly, without saying a word.  
Arthur moved to sit at the table and slowly started to nibble at his food, while Merlin sorted out Arthur's night clothes. When Arthur had eaten, Merlin helped him change. This silence between them was strange, there were always some sarcastic comments here and there, but not tonight. Arthur snuggled tiredly under his covers, and as Merlin started to leave, Arthur called his name, "Merlin?"  
"What is it?" he turned around and Arthur saw just how tired he was. "I don't really feel like being alone right now... Could you stay with me?" Arthur said hesitantly. Merlin waited for several seconds before answering, "Of course." He walked over to Arthur's desk and pulled a chair next to the bed. Before he could sit, Arthur shook his head slightly and said, "No, Merlin, come here, you'll only hurt yourself if you sleep in a chair." Arthur moved to the other side of the bed and signaled for Merlin to come next to him. Merlin climbed on the bed, being as close to the edge as possible, as he too, snuggled comfortably under the covers of Arthur's bed.  
\-----  
Merlin woke up in the morning to find Arthur's arms wrapped tightly around him, hugging him from behind. Merlin was enjoying Arthur's warmth against his body. Arthur's steady breath tickled his ear, and though Arthur, who was also awake, couldn't see it, Merlin was smiling with his eyes still closed, enjoying this moment as though it would disappear any second and not come back.  
Arthur tightened his grip on Merlin, not wanting to ever let him go. This was when Merlin finally noticed Arthur was awake. "Good morning," he said sleepily. "Morning," Arthur replied, happiness evident in his voice.  
Neither of them wanted this moment to end, and neither of them new why, but this, being so close to each other... It felt right.  
They didn't know how long they stayed like that. Not speaking, not moving, just enjoying each other's company. Enjoying each other's warmth, enjoying their bodies being in touch with the other's, enjoying the small amount of sunlight dancing around the room.  
Suddenly there was a light knock at the door. They looked at the door while it opened, and Gwaine came inside. First he looked shocked, but as it faded, a wide grin made it's way to his face instead. "Well good morning princesses!" Gwaine said, maybe a little too happily.


	3. Show Me Some Magic

Arthur quickly took his hands off of Merlin's waist and sat up on the bed. "What are you doing here Gwaine?" Arthur asked, clearly annoyed. Merlin was also now sitting, leaning against the soft pillows in Arthur's bed. "I was sent here to inform you that you missed the council meeting," Gwaine said, still smiling and being happy about the fact that he was the one to find them like this. He had always thought that there was something more than just friendship between them. He was right. "But the meeting was supposed to be in the afternoon," Arthur replies even more annoyed than before. "It is afternoon," Gwaine laughs. "What?" Merlin yells out, gets out of bed and opens the curtains. The sun was indeed already high up in the sky, soon starting to set.  
"I've never slept this late, how did this happen?" Merlin was freaking out. "Calm down, you were probably just very tired from yesterday. It was a difficult day for all of us," Gwaine says with all seriousness, for once. "Sorry Arthur, it's my fault you missed the meeting today. I was supposed to wake you up in time, I'm sorry," Merlin freaks out a little more. Arthur gently grabs Merlin's wrist and tells him, "It's alright Merlin, you were tired, and so was I. It wasn't anything that important, I'll hear all about it later. I'm actually really glad that I got to sleep so late."  
"Well of course you are, princesses need their beauty sleep after all. And I'm sure you slept very well next to Merlin," Gwaine exclaims with a cheeky grin. Arthur started to blush. He was still sitting on the bed, holding Merlin's wrist. Merlin was also blushing, and his eyes were wandering everywhere but in Gwaine's or Arthur's direction.  
"Would you stop calling me that!" Arthur bursts out after a short silence. He had let go of Merlin's hand. "Sorry princess," Gwaine lifts his hands as if in surrender. Arthur just rolls his eyes in annoyance, while Merlin rolls his eyes with a smile and gives a slight chuckle. "You find this amusing do you?" Arthur asks while turning to look at Merlin. "A little," he replies, smiling back at Arthur. "I'll just be going then," Gwaine says, a smile still on his face. "You tell anyone about this, and I will run you trough," Arthur threatens through gritted teeth. The smile slowly disappeared from Gwaine's face. "Okay then," he says annoyed, while loudly closing the door to Arthur's chambers.  
\-----  
Merlin opened the door to Gaius' chambers and walked inside. Gaius was sitting at the table with his concentration in a book he was reading. He looked up when he heard the door close. "Merlin! where have you been?" he yelled, worry evident in his voice. "Sorry Gaius, Arthur needed me," Merlin replied quickly and went in his room to change. "You were with him the entire night?" Gaius asked from behind the door, confused. "Yes," Merlin replied. "Have you slept at all?" Gaius sounded worried. "Very well actually, the best night's sleep I've had in years," Merlin said cheerfully as he opened the door, with clean clothes on. "But I am very hungry, is there any food?" he asked while walking past Gaius, not giving him a chance to ask any following questions. "Yes," he answered, handing Merlin a plate with some bread, cheese and tomatoes.   
\-----  
Merlin was wandering in Arthur's chambers, collecting his clothes and other stuff from the floor and putting them where they belong. Arthur was sitting at his desk, going over some paperwork, but he couldn't help but think about last night and what happened this morning. Or more specifically, this afternoon. He found himself staring at Merlin, just looking at him moving around his chambers, and he was smiling to himself. Merlin was humming while he worked, probably not even noticing it himself. Arthur noticed though, and he loved to listen to it, not that he'd ever admit it.  
Meanwhile in the armoury, Gwaine was telling Leon and Percival what he had walked into earlier, with Arthur and Merlin. "There's no way you're telling the truth," Leon said with disbelief. "I'm telling you, that's what happened. Arthur was hugging Merlin tightly from behind, then I walked in and he looked pretty angry that I disturbed their cuddling session," Gwaine said with slight frustration. "You're serious?" Leon asked surprised. "Yeah!" Gwaine said, now clearly frustrated, yet also still excited. "I always knew there was something going on between them," Percival exclaimed with a smile spreading across his face. "I suppose they have always been suspiciously close to each other," Leon said hesitantly. "Oh, and Arthur threatened to kill me if I ever told anyone, so you can't let him know you know," Gwaine told them. They both just rolled their eyes at him.  
"Merlin?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Show me some magic," Arthur asked. "Alright," Merlin said as he walked closer to the desk where Arthur was sitting. He put his hands together and said a few words that Arthur didn't understand. His eyes flashed gold and when he opened his hands, a beautiful blue butterfly flew out and fluttered through the air to sit on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur watched in amazement as the butterfly nearly glowed from beauty, reflecting the deep blue of Merlin's eyes perfectly. The butterfly flew out of the open window and disappeared out of sight. Arthur looked at Merlin, stared into those beautiful eyes where anyone could get lost into. "That was amazing," Arthur nearly whispered, filling the silence that felt like it could have lasted for hours. Merlin was looking into Arthur's eyes and he felt like Arthur was going to burn a hole in the back of his head if he stared at Merlin for even a while longer.


	4. Breakfast In Bed

The second night after Gwen's funeral was closing in. Arthur was getting ready for bed. Well, Merlin was getting him ready for bed. "Do you want me to stay again, or are you alright being alone?" Merlin asked while helping Arthur get his nightshirt on. "You can stay if you want, but I'm alright," Arthur stated, hoping secretly that Merlin would stay. "Alright, well good night then," Merlin said and started to walk towards the door. "Good night," he heard Arthur say while he walked out and closed the door.  
'Am I imagining things or did he sound disappointed?' Merlin thought to himself. 'No, I'm definitely just imagining things.' Merlin wished he would have stayed, but what reason would he have had to stay. Then again, Arthur did say he could stay. 'I should have stayed.' Merlin walked into his and Gaius' chambers, deep in his thoughts. "Is there something on your mind?" Gaius asked with his mouth full of food. "Nothing important," Merlin replied and went to sit at the table with Gaius who handed him a plate of food.  
When they had eaten, Merlin went into his room, changed into his night clothes and went to bed. The night was surprisingly cold and Merlin couldn't sleep. He was tossing and turning in his bed for at least an hour, he could hear Gaius snoring in the other room.  
Arthur was lying awake in his bed, missing the comfort of Merlin lying next to him. He decided to go for a walk. He was walking through the castle barefoot, not even knowing where he was walking to. Soon he found himself at Gaius' door, and decided to go in. He was careful not to wake Gaius up, and opened the door to Merlin's room. Merlin sat up on the bed when he heard the door open. "I couldn't sleep," Arthur said quietly, when he had closed the door behind him. "Me neither," Merlin said. "I started to regret not staying with you," he continued hesitantly. Arthur gave him a small smile and said, "You can still come." Merlin smiled and got out of bed, and the two left the chambers silently and went into Arthur's room. They both got into the bed close to each other, maybe a little too close, and they soon fell asleep.  
\-----  
Arthur woke up to the sunlight peeking through the curtains. He opened his eyes and saw Merlin curled up against his chest. The sight of his adorable face lit up from the morning sun made Arthur smile. He yawned and closed his eyes again, wrapping his hands tightly around Merlin. He hoped no one would walk in this time. The only thing he wanted was to lie there with Merlin's warm body pressed up against his.  
Merlin fluttered his eyes open and saw Arthur's chest moving up and down underneath him. He looked up and his eyes met with Arthur's. They both smiled while they looked at each other, like nothing else in the world mattered but each other.  
"Good morning," Arthur finally said, still smiling and looking into Merlin's blue eyes. "Good morning," Merlin said back just as happily, if not more. "You want some breakfast?" Arthur asked. "Would be nice," Merlin replied. Arthur slowly got out of bed and opened the door. Soon a servant passed by and Arthur stopped her and asked for some breakfast for two. She smiled and said, "Of course my lord." She bowed and walked away towards the kitchen.  
A little while later there was knock at the door. Arthur opened it and took the tray of food, then closed the door. He walked over to sit on the bed and put the tray down. There was different kinds of meat and cheese, some grapes, apples and other fruits, two tankards of water and some flowers. Arthur took a blue flower and put it gently behind Merlin's ear. Merlin started to laugh at that, and Arthur had never heard anything so beautiful. They both started to eat, Merlin took an apple while Arthur started from the meat and cheese.  
\-----  
Arthur and Merlin were walking towards the training field where the other knights were waiting for Arthur. It was a warm and sunny morning and there was barely any clouds on the sky. Merlin and Arthur were both in a good mood when they arrived to training. Merlin went to sit next to the field to watch, while Arthur started the training. "Nice flower, Merlin. Who'd you get it from?" Gwaine asked with a wide grin on his face. The others turned to look at them. Merlin had already forgot that the flower was still behind his ear, and he started to blush. "No one," he replied with his face bright red. "It's from Arthur, isn't it?" Gwaine chuckled. Merlin was watching Arthur who was looking away blushing. "I'll take that as a yes then," Gwaine said as he followed Merlin's gaze to Arthur. All the knights were smiling at the two. "Stop staring and get back to training," Arthur said coldly. They did as they were told and no one said another word about it.  
When they got back from training, Merlin started to prepare a bath for Arthur. Arthur went behind the screen, took his clothes off and threw them on top of it. The bath water was ready when he got out, and he could see Merlin blush slightly at the sight of Arthur's naked body. Arthur smiled as he got in the bath. Merlin started to gently wash Arthur's hair, he loved how soft it was. Arthur enjoyed the feel of Merlin's fingers in his hair, and closed his eyes, a smile on his lips. Merlin took a much longer time to wash Arthur's hair than it should have took, but neither complained.  
When Arthur was ready, he got up and turned towards Merlin. Arthur thought he looked absolutely adorable sitting there with his purple shirt and red neckerchief, a smile plastered on his face. They were staring into each other's eyes and Arthur took a deep breath. He grabbed Merlin by his neckerchief and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Merlin kissed back almost immediately with just as much passion, after he recovered from the shock. Merlin was standing now too, pressed up against Arthur, not caring that his shirt was getting wet. His hands were around Arthur's neck and in his hair, while Arthur's hands found themselves around Merlin's waist with a firm grip. Arthur gently bit Merlin's lower lip. Merlin gasped slightly, allowing Arthur's tongue to enter his mouth and discover every inch of it. After a while they pulled apart, panting for air. Their foreheads were pressed against each other's, their noses touching, their breaths tangled together.  
And this is when Leon decided to walk in without knocking. They turned their heads towards Leon and saw his shocked expression. "Sorry sire, I should have knocked," Leon said and closed the door. After he was gone, Merlin and Arthur looked back at each other. After a few seconds they started to laugh lightly. Arthur planted a sweet little kiss on Merlin's lips and finally stepped out of the tub. Merlin was smiling widely. He gave Arthur a towel, and after Arthur was dry, he helped him get dressed. As Merlin was helping Arthur get a shirt on, there was a knock at the door. "Are you decent?" Leon asked from behind the door. "Yes, come in," Arthur replied when he got the shirt on properly.  
Leon came in and informed Arthur of a council meeting. Arthur left with Leon to the council chambers after he told Merlin he could have the next few hours off. Merlin walked towards his and Gaius' chambers, happy about what just happened. He entered the chambers with a smile and a wet shirt. He walked straight into his room, not noticing Gaius looking at him strangely. He changed his clothes into a dry red shirt and a blue neckerchief, then he walked out of his room with a smile that seems to never go away.  
Merlin sat at the table across from Gaius. "I haven't seen you much lately," Gaius said. "Well I'm here now," he replied cheerfully. "I haven't seen you all day, you weren't here when I woke up in the morning and now you come in, late afternoon, with a wet shirt," Gaius said with a questioning tone. "Yeah, Arthur needed me early in the morning, and my shirt was wet from giving him a bath," Merlin explained, the smile on his face still refusing to go away. "You give him a bath almost daily, you'd think you'd already learned how to do it without wetting your shirt," Gaius stated. Merlin chuckled nervously as he said, "You'd think so wouldn't you."  
"I haven't seen you this happy in a long time."  
"What's not to be happy about? Arthur's alive, Morgana's dead, the war was won, the kingdom is doing great," Merlin listed out. "Did something happen today you're not telling me?" Gaius asked with a serious expression. "No, of course not," he quickly replied. Gaius looked at him with a raised eyebrow but he didn't ask any more questions.  
\-----  
It was evening and the sun was setting behind the trees. It looked like it might rain tomorrow. Merlin was walking towards Arthur's chambers when Arthur ran up to walk next to him. "Good evening," he said happily. "Good evening," Merlin replied. They walked into Arthur's chambers, and when they had closed the door, Merlin wrapped his hands around Arthur's neck. Arthur was surprised at first, but he soon wrapped his hands around Merlin's waist and kissed him sweetly on the lips.   
"I have a surprise for you. Me and the council have been working on it, and tomorrow the ban on magic will be lifted," Arthur told Merlin, looking into those deep blue eyes that he loves so much, and smiling excitedly. "Really?" Merlin breathed out, genuinely surprised. Arthur chuckled and replied, "After all you've done for me, it's the least I can do."  
"Thank you," Merlin said and tightened his grip around Arthur's neck. He put his head on Arthur's shoulder and closed his eyes. Arthur hugged Merlin firmly and gently stroked Merlin's back. He whispered into Merlin's ear, "I love you." Merlin lifted his head and looked into Arthur's eyes. He smiled and said, "I love you too."


	5. Devious Little Merlin

Leon, Gwaine and Percival were in the armoury. "Why are we here Leon?" Gwaine asked with slight irritation in his voice. "You'll never believe what I walked into earlier this afternoon," Leon replied, still disbelieving what he had seen in the king's chambers. Gwaine and Percival looked at each other, confused, Gwaine being more excited than confused. "Go on," he said with a smile spreading across his face, already guessing what Leon was about to say. "So, I was outside the king's chambers and I forgot to knock, I went inside and saw Arthur and Merlin standing very close to each other. Now, I can't know for certainty but it looked like they were just kissing," Leon started hesitantly. Gwaine and Percival were listening intently with wide eyes and happiness obvious in their expressions. Leon continued talking," Arthur was standing in the bath tub, naked and soaked, his hands were on Merlin's waist. Merlin's hands were around Arthur's neck. By the time I saw them their heads were already turned towards me but I'm quite sure they were kissing." Gwaine and Percival started laughing excitedly, while Leon already regretted telling them about this. 'If Arthur finds out I told them I'll lose my head,' he thought.  
\-----  
Arthur and Merlin were enjoying dinner in Arthur's chambers. It was getting dark outside, but the fire burning in Arthur's fireplace was keeping the room lighted and warm. They didn't talk much, just listened to the fire crackling peacefully while they enjoyed the other's company.  
Merlin couldn't believe all that's happened. Arthur kissed him, he told him he loves him, and now he's about to lift the ban on magic. He was smiling as he looked at Arthur sitting across the table. He'd never felt this happy before.  
"Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are," Arthur told Merlin, absolutely amazed by the beauty before his eyes. Merlin's smile grew wider as he blushed at Arthur's words. "No, but I figured as much. You stare into my eyes more than you insult me, and that's a lot," he replied sarcastically. "Ha-ha, very funny Merlin," Arthur said as he rolled his eyes a bit, though still smiling at him lovingly.  
They finished eating and Merlin started to clean off their dishes. "I'll bring these to the kitchen and I'll be right back," he told Arthur as he grabbed the tray of dirty dishes and leftover dinner, and started moving towards the door. Arthur opened the door for Merlin and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. Merlin smiled at that and walked out the door, heading towards the kitchen.  
On his way there, he stumbled into Gwaine, Percival and Leon, who just came from the armoury. "Ah, Arthur having dinner for two then? Is he having company or is he just that hungry?" Gwaine joked and gave a light chuckle. Percival and Leon laughed slightly at their friend's comment, knowing that it was probably Merlin who Arthur had dinner with. "Heh, you know Arthur, he's always hungry," Merlin replied with one of his goofy grins. "But why does he need so many plates then, or two tankards?" Percival asked, faking innocence. "Uh..." Merlin didn't know what to say, and he was starting to feel a slight panic rising inside him, until suddenly he heard Arthur's voice coming from behind him, "I wanted Merlin to eat dinner with me, is there a problem with that?" He's voice was calm and confident, like a king should be. Merlin let out a breath of relief as the pressure was lifted off of him. "No, of course not," Leon replied. "We were just curious, that's all." Gwaine and Percival nodded, still smiling, happy about being right. It was Merlin who he had dinner with.  
Arthur looked at Gwaine and Percival, who were smiling weirdly at the two. He rolled his eyes and sighed, "He told you didn't he?" At that they started to smile even more. "You'll have to be a bit more specific Arthur," Gwaine said cheekily, making Percival chuckle and causing Leon to get nervous. "You know exactly what I'm talking about," Arthur said, extremely annoyed. "Oh, are you referring to Leon walking in on you and Merlin being all over each other?" Percival burst out, trying to keep a straight face, and failing miserably as him and Gwaine started laughing out loud. Leon was still a bit nervous, but he started laughing too. Arthur was blushing, along with Merlin who was bright red by now. "Not a word of it to anyone, understood?" Arthur said with a commanding tone. "Of course, but answer me on this one thing," Gwaine started with a bit more serious expression. "Did you two kiss, and if you did, was it like a sweet little kiss or more like a kiss driven mad with passion?" he finished, the cheeky smile back on his beautiful face. Leon and Percival were grinning in the backround, as Arthur and Merlin looked at each other awkwardly. "Why don't you tell them, Merlin?" Arthur said while pushing Merlin forward. "Me? why me?" Merlin complained shocked, looking at Arthur pleadingly. The three knights were extremely amused by those two disasters. "Because you tell it so much better," Arthur told him, obviously just trying to find any excuse to try and not have to tell them himself. "Fine, prat!" Merlin replied, annoyed, preparing himself for what came next.  
Merlin turned towards the other three waiting somewhat patiently, and stood straight. He was going to make Arthur regret he made him do this. And he was going to enjoy it. "Well, I was sitting on the floor, when Arthur got up from the bath and turned towards me..." he started, with a surprising composure. Arthur was horrified when he realised what Merlin was up to. He watched Merlin with wide eyes as he continued, "He was obviously looking at my lips, and before I knew it he grabbed my neckerchief and pulled me up from the floor and kissed me, and yes, very passionately." Gwaine, Percival and Leon were looking at Merlin intently as he told them every detail about the kiss, exaggerating a lot.  
"... And then Leon walked in and yet Arthur still kept his hands firmly on my waist," Merlin said simply. The others were smiling and giggling like idiots while Arthur was leaning against the wall with his face blood red. "After Leon was gone Arthur kissed me again. This time a short and sweet little kiss with a huge smile on his face," Merlin finally finished and he gave Arthur a devious little smirk, telling Arthur to never do that again.  
Merlin was still holding the tray. He walked calmly past the others and left to the kitchen, leaving Arthur there, standing awkwardly with his face flushed.  
\-----  
Merlin entered Arthur's chambers, aware that Arthur was probably angry with him. But Arthur wasn't angry, he was upset. He was sitting at his desk, leaning back on his chair with a pout on, arms crossed. He looked adorable like this. Merlin chuckled at him, and that caused Arthur to pout even more and crouch his brows. Merlin walked to him and leaned to gently kiss his cheek.  
"I'm sorry Arthur," he apologized, and he meant it. Arthur's expression softened and he turned to look at Merlin. "You know, I think you exaggerated a bit," he said quite emotionlessly. "That was the point," Merlin answered with a smirk. "Your own fault for making me tell them." he continued with an apologetic look. "I didn't mean for you to tell it like that," Arthur looked at him with a roll of his eyes. He sighed, got up, and grabbed Merlin into his arms bridal style, and carried him over to his bed. Merlin yelped in surprise and Arthur tossed him gently on his bed.  
It was late and the air was chilly. The fire had gone out and the only light came from a little candle across the room. Arthur took his shoes off and climbed on the bed on top of Merlin. He slipped his hands under Merlin's shirt and started to slowly take it off, all the while looking deep into Merlin's eyes. He pulled the shirt over Merlin's head and threw it on the floor. He started kissing Merlin all over, starting from his neck, nibbling gently at his pale skin, going lower and lower. Merlin started making noises of desire and desperation, as Arthur got to his lower abdomen and started to pull his pants down. He pulled them low enough for Merlin to kick them off completely, along with his shoes. Arthur took his own shirt off while Merlin started to take off Arthur's pants.  
The clothes were scattered across the floor, leaving Merlin and Arthur naked, on top of each other on the bed. Arthur kissed Merlin intimately and Merlin parted his lips. Arthur's tongue slipped in. Merlin was tugging Arthur's hair and Arthur's hands were inspecting Merlin's body while they deepened the kiss. After a while they pulled apart. They were panting for air, their bodies heated up against one another. The candle had gone out and the room was cold. Their breaths were mingled together in the cold air. They stayed like that for a while, until they got under the covers and nuzzled closely against each other, keeping each other warm. Their legs were entwined together, their arms around each other, Merlin's head resting on Arthur's bare chest. It was comforting for Merlin to feel Arthur's chest moving up and down underneath him, and he soon fell asleep in the arms of the man he loves, the man he loves more than anything in this world.


	6. Apples!

Merlin woke up in the arms of the man he loves. He didn't open his eyes, he just stayed there close to Arthur. He felt the sun shining on his back and remembered that he'd forgotten to close the curtains. It was still early and it took quite a while for Arthur to finally wake up. Merlin was still awake, still enjoying Arthur's warm skin against his own. Arthur shifted slightly and groaned, he opened his eyes and saw Merlin's head resting on his bare chest. "Good morning love," he whispered in Merlin's ear, a wide smile on his face. Merlin chuckled and replied, "Good morning." He finally opened his eyes and saw Arthur smiling lovingly at him. He smiled back at him and said quietly, "I love you."  
"I love you too," Arthur replied, looking into the eyes of the man he loves.  
\-----  
It was now noon, the sky was covered in clouds but it was still quite warm. There were darker clouds on the horizon, and it would most likely rain later. The distant trees by the far end of the darkling woods were bending in the strong an rather cold wind. It was blowing the stormy clouds nearer with a frightening speed. It would quite possibly bring an even bigger storm than just a rainy weather.  
Merlin and Arthur walked back inside from the balcony above the courtyard. Arthur had just announced the ban on magic to be lifted, not just that, but he'd announced to everyone that Merlin was the sorcerer who helped them win the battle. The courtyard had been silent, only slight gasps of surprise could be heard. Merlin had started to panic, afraid that the people wouldn't accept him or the new laws on magic. He thought of every possible way it could go wrong, his mind was racing at full speed, his face was starting to burn from the anticipation. What had felt like hours to Merlin, in actuality went by in less than ten seconds. The crowd below had started to cheer and shout Merlin their thanks and Merlin let out a deep breath of relief, trying his best to hide how scared he'd been. But Arthur noticed, he'd wanted to take Merlin's hand and make him feel better but pretty much everyone in the kingdom had been looking straight at them and Arthur wasn't ready for everyone to know that he was in love with his warlock manservant. Especially since his wife had died just days ago...  
Once they were both inside and Arthur had checked there was no one at sight, he pulled Merlin close by his waist and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips. Merlin wrapped his hands around Arthur's neck and smiled into the kiss. They pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes like they always do, like they were looking at the brightest of stars. "Thank you, Arthur," Merlin whispered into the air between them. Arthur just smiled at him lovingly, looked into his eyes and said, "Whatever you need, my love." Merlin let out a slight chuckle an kissed Arthur again, this time a little longer, with more passion. They didn't notice the three knights standing not too far away from them, until Gwaine cleared his throat to announce their presence. They pulled apart from the kiss and turned their heads towards the others, dramatically slowly, with serious and slightly annoyed expressions. To that, the other three started laughing. Merlin and Arthur looked back at each other and laughed a little too. Arthur planted one more short kiss on Merlin's lips before they let go of each other and turned to Leon, Percival and Gwaine.  
"There are some that seem to be sceptical about your latest decision, but most seem to be accepting and excited even," Leon stated, and Arthur nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Leon."  
"So, when are people going to find out about you two?" Gwaine asked with a smirk. "Not anytime soon. I'm not ready, and I don't think Merlin is either, for our relationship to be public yet," Arthur replied, and Merlin shook his head. Arthur was right, Merlin wasn't ready for that either. He was already overwhelmed as it is, from everything that's been happening. He needed time to recover from all that stress, all that stress that came from all the years of protecting Camelot and Arthur, from all the years of keeping his secret, from the overwhelming destiny weighing on his shoulders, from the great battle of Camlann, from the stress that came from thinking Arthur was going to die, from feeling helpless to do anything to save the man he loves. Now he was past that, and even though he still protected Camelot and Arthur, everyone knew his secret, Arthur would be there to share the weight of his destiny, the battle of Camlann was won, and Arthur was alive and well. But he needed rest, some peace and quiet to recover from all that, and surely Arthur would help. After all, Merlin still hadn't got the two days off that Arthur had promised him earlier.  
\-----  
Merlin and Arthur were in Arthur's chambers, not really doing anything, but Arthur had said he needed to talk to Merlin. "I called you here because I feel wrong to keep you as my servant after all that's happened," he started explaining after he had sat down on his chair. Merlin was standing, facing Arthur, looking very curious after what Arthur had just said. "So maybe I could appoint you as my loyal advisor, or a court warlock perhaps," he continued, and Merlin was surprised to hear what Arthur was proposing. "Some kind of a title of an important member in my council anyway," he finished what he was saying and waited curiously for what Merlin would reply. At first Merlin didn't know what to say, but soon he opened his mouth and Arthur was surprised to hear what had come out of it, "I told you before. I'm happy to be your servant, till the day I die." They were looking into each other's eyes, Arthur's mouth parted in surprise, Merlin smiling reassuringly at Arthur. "And that way I get to be with you pretty much every minute of everyday," Merlin added with a wide grin on his face. Arthur gave a little laugh and stood up. He walked in front of Merlin, a smile on his face, and wrapped his hands around Merlin, who hugged him back and put his head on Arthur's shoulder, closing his eyes.  
After a while, Arthur pulled apart from the heartwarming hug and asked, "Are you sure that's really what you want?" Merlin looked at him and replied with a smile, "I'm sure."  
"Well, just tell me when you want those two days off," Arthur said with a gentle tone all the while looking at Merlin lovingly. Merlin chuckled and leaned in to kiss him. It was sweet and short, but with a lot of love. "Well, I could take those days off now and spend them with you, doing absolutely nothing," Merlin suggested afterwards. "Sounds good," Arthur replied with a smirk, loving the idea of spending two whole days with Merlin, and just Merlin. No distractions.  
\-----  
Things were going well in Camelot, better than in a long time, so Arthur was able to arrange it so that he wouldn't really need to do anything for the next two days. "No one is allowed to disturb us unless it's an emergency, understood?" Arthur explained to his knights who now all knew about his and Merlin's relationship. Gwaine really should be the last one to tell any secrets to, he's not capable of keeping anything to himself. The knights didn't seem to mind though, and Gwaine definitely didn't mind, judging from his smirk that had appeared when Arthur had told them he would be spending two days with Merlin, doing who knows what. "And Gwaine, it's not an emergency that we're all out of apples!" Arthur added, remembering what happened last time. "What? Of course it is, I need apples!" Gwaine replied, shocked at what Arthur was implying. Arthur rolled his eyes and slightly shook his head in annoyance. The last time they ran out of apples, Gwaine had ran around the castle, bursting into every room, asking if anyone had any apples. Then he'd went to town and did the same, until he finally found one apple left. He'd looked like a little child who just got a new toy. "Fine," Gwaine said in surrender, and the other knights were amused by the conversation.  
\-----  
It had started to rain. The sun was setting on the horizon, not that it could be seen from the thick storm clouds covering the entire sky. The sound of thunder was filling the air, and every once in a while you could see the lightning strike, not too far away. Merlin and Arthur were enjoying dinner, sitting in Arthur's bed. The fire was crackling in the fireplace and there were candles all around the room. The two were snuggled close to each other under the covers, leaning on each other, not even minding the storm outside. The air was cold, but Arthur's chambers were warm an silent, apart from the two talking and laughing together.  
They soon fell asleep next to each other, both happy, Merlin snuggled against Arthur's chest and Arthur's arms holding Merlin lovingly. For maybe the first time ever, they were feeling like everything was right with the world. Arthur may have married Gwen, but he always knew it was Merlin who he truly loved. He never thought though, that this would be possible, to be with Merlin like this. For it to be possible that Merlin loved him back, for there to be people who accepted it.


End file.
